China White Tea:Never really understood the age-entitles-one-to-respect thing. Good job, you managed to be born in a certain year and, thus far, haven't died. Good job on that, but it's not really an accomplishment worthy of respect in and of itself.

This seems to be a popular sentiment. Perhaps my idea of what respect entails is different from yours, but it seems to me that respect for others should be the default, right up until someone proves themselves unworthy of that respect.

We don't live in small tribal communities anymore. The number of people you are likely to interact with on a daily basis is fairly large. The number of people you know well enough to have developed an earned respect for will be considerably smaller. Your "no respect until it's earned" policy would mean that very few people respect those they're interacting with in any given situation.

Perhaps this doesn't make you an asshole inherently, but it makes a damn good rationalization for acting like one.

/I'm not actually calling you an asshole, merely pointing out how this particular philosophy may be detrimental to society at large//I'm sure you're a wonderful person who lives by the golden rule of "Treat others as you wish to be treated"

Considering your child-like attitude, I'd be willing to bet the things you don't understand could fill a library. Being older often implies being wiser, at least in a general sense, all other things being equal. Smart people understand that it makes sense, then, to offer some level of respect to people who have had the opportunity of more experience on the off-chance they may have something useful and valuable to teach you.

It has to be qualified, otherwise it's not inherently true. There are lots of stupid old people with terrible ideas and horrible personalities that should be locked away from society in a cold, dark room until they die alone and unloved. Rupert Murdoch banks on it.

The point is that there's opportunity there and you should be respectful by default in case there's some knowledge to be taken advantage of. Smart people wait until old people prove their idiots to be disrespectful to them.